1985 Graham's / Warre's / Quinta do Noval

1985 Graham's / Warre's / Quinta do Noval

Posted: 19:53 Wed 14 Jun 2017

by willforbes

I have 52 cases of 1985 vintage port that are stored in bond Plutus warehouses in Liverpool. The cases were brought over to the UK directly after they were released from their respective houses and have remained in bond in Liverpool ever since. I am considering selling some or all of the cases. The cases I have are as follows:
• 28x cases (dozen) Graham’s Port 1985
• 13x cases (dozen) Warre’s Port 1985
• 11x cases (dozen) Quinta do Noval Port 1985

If you are interested, please can you let me know:
1) The quantity you are interested in acquiring
2) The price per case (of each of the three types I have)
3) Timeline for you to acquire the port

Graham’s 1985Graham is a great port house, producing one of the deepest-colored and sweetest styles of vintage port. Along with Taylor and Fonseca, Graham has probably been the most consistent producer of great port in the post- World War II era. Their tawnys are quite good rather than exceptional, but their vintage ports are truly sublime and sumptuous. Graham is the undisputed star and kingpin of the 1985 vintage ports. Yes, it is made in a sweeter style than the other ports, but it is a fabulous wine because of a dazzling level of black-cherry fruit, an enormous structure, and staggering depth, dimension, and length. It is forward, as are all 1985s, and I would speculate that this port will be approaching maturity by 1992-93 and will keep 15-20 years thereafter.96 Points, Robert Parker

Warre’s Port 1985This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port and a very good tawny called Nimrod. Their vintage ports seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The 1985 is the sweetest and richest of the recent Warre vintages. Extremely concentrated, rich, even luscious, this full-bodied, intense, opulent wine has layers of fruit, a full-blown bouquet, and impeccable balance. The soft tannins and precocious appeal of the 1985 suggest rapid maturation. 90 Points, Robert Parker

Quinta do Noval 1985The beautiful Quinta do Noval is undoubtedly the most famous port producer, largely because their 1931 and 1927 were to vintage port what the 1947 Cheval Blanc and 1945 Mouton-Rothschild were to the Bordeaux trade - divine, monumental wines of extraordinary depth of flavor. Also, the Quinta do Noval produces a rare vintage port from a small vineyard of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines called Nacional. It is so rare that I have never seen, much less tasted, a bottle of what is supposedly a great port. However, the truth of the matter is that recent vintages of Quinta do Noval have not been nearly as impressive as they should be. Commentators have described the wines as light, elegant, and charming when in fact they lack richness and depth of flavor. The 1985 is quite concentrated, seductive, and amazingly delicious now, and it should mature quite quickly. The finish is long and flavorful, but I wonder about the lack of tannic structure to this wine.87 Points

Many thanks for your interest,

Will

Re: 1985 Graham's / Warre's / Quinta do Noval

I have 52 cases of 1985 vintage port that are stored in bond Plutus warehouses in Liverpool. The cases were brought over to the UK directly after they were released from their respective houses and have remained in bond in Liverpool ever since. I am considering selling some or all of the cases. The cases I have are as follows:
• 28x cases (dozen) Graham’s Port 1985
• 13x cases (dozen) Warre’s Port 1985
• 11x cases (dozen) Quinta do Noval Port 1985

If you are interested, please can you let me know:
1) The quantity you are interested in acquiring
2) The price per case (of each of the three types I have)
3) Timeline for you to acquire the port

Graham’s 1985Graham is a great port house, producing one of the deepest-colored and sweetest styles of vintage port. Along with Taylor and Fonseca, Graham has probably been the most consistent producer of great port in the post- World War II era. Their tawnys are quite good rather than exceptional, but their vintage ports are truly sublime and sumptuous. Graham is the undisputed star and kingpin of the 1985 vintage ports. Yes, it is made in a sweeter style than the other ports, but it is a fabulous wine because of a dazzling level of black-cherry fruit, an enormous structure, and staggering depth, dimension, and length. It is forward, as are all 1985s, and I would speculate that this port will be approaching maturity by 1992-93 and will keep 15-20 years thereafter.96 Points, Robert Parker

Warre’s Port 1985This house makes rather restrained yet rich, flavorful vintage port and a very good tawny called Nimrod. Their vintage ports seem slow to develop, and while they never quite have the voluptuous richness of a Dow, Graham, or Fonseca, they have a unique mineral-scented character that gives them their own complexity and style. The 1985 is the sweetest and richest of the recent Warre vintages. Extremely concentrated, rich, even luscious, this full-bodied, intense, opulent wine has layers of fruit, a full-blown bouquet, and impeccable balance. The soft tannins and precocious appeal of the 1985 suggest rapid maturation. 90 Points, Robert Parker

Quinta do Noval 1985The beautiful Quinta do Noval is undoubtedly the most famous port producer, largely because their 1931 and 1927 were to vintage port what the 1947 Cheval Blanc and 1945 Mouton-Rothschild were to the Bordeaux trade - divine, monumental wines of extraordinary depth of flavor. Also, the Quinta do Noval produces a rare vintage port from a small vineyard of ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines called Nacional. It is so rare that I have never seen, much less tasted, a bottle of what is supposedly a great port. However, the truth of the matter is that recent vintages of Quinta do Noval have not been nearly as impressive as they should be. Commentators have described the wines as light, elegant, and charming when in fact they lack richness and depth of flavor. The 1985 is quite concentrated, seductive, and amazingly delicious now, and it should mature quite quickly. The finish is long and flavorful, but I wonder about the lack of tannic structure to this wine.87 Points

Many thanks for your interest,

Will

I have sent you a PM.

Re: 1985 Graham's / Warre's / Quinta do Noval

Posted: 17:52 Thu 15 Jun 2017

by Old Bridge

Too expensive for me.

Re: 1985 Graham's / Warre's / Quinta do Noval

Posted: 19:53 Thu 15 Jun 2017

by willforbes

To address Old Bridge's comments and help guide on price, so far I have received offers at these levels:
£520 / case for the Graham's
£460 / case for the Warre's
£600 / case for the Quinta

Of course at these levels, these exceptional ports still represent an opportunity for an individual to acquire significantly below retail price, but I would need offers in excess of these levels to sell to an individual.

Thank you for your consideration,

Will

Re: 1985 Graham's / Warre's / Quinta do Noval

Posted: 22:49 Thu 15 Jun 2017

by Glenn E.

1985 Graham can be found regularly at retail in the US for $85. (I don't know what prices are like in the UK.) That's from a reputed internet retailer who will back up their product should something be amiss.

Private sales in the UK seem to normally take place at around 50% of retail. So to me, it looks like the £520 / case offer that you have already received is reasonable and fair.

In your case, though, you may be able to get a better price if you can provide proof that the Port has been held in bond (climate controlled) since 1987. That would ensure provenance, which would perhaps reassure prospective buyers.

Re: 1985 Graham's / Warre's / Quinta do Noval

Posted: 09:22 Fri 16 Jun 2017

by Andy Velebil

£600 / case for the Quinta [do Noval]

If someone is offering that much for what is not a great Port take it while you can. At best, I'd offer around £200 for the lot as a simple "daily drinker". So take it before they realize their mistake.

On a side note, those TN's are terrible. They basically tell someone nothing about how the Port tastes. They do give some historical background which is nice if I wanted to know what they made good decades ago. Doesn't help with the actual bottle in question.

And how does the Graham's get a 96 point score with a tasting note like that? It basically is saying it's not a great Port and will mature very quickly (7-8 years after harvest, to quote the reviewer)...oh wait, Parker gave it

Re: 1985 Graham's / Warre's / Quinta do Noval

To address Old Bridge's comments and help guide on price, so far I have received offers at these levels:
£520 / case for the Graham's
£460 / case for the Warre's
£600 / case for the Quinta

Of course at these levels, these exceptional ports still represent an opportunity for an individual to acquire significantly below retail price, but I would need offers in excess of these levels to sell to an individual.

Thank you for your consideration,

Will

Are these In Bond prices? Even if not, I would bite the hand off the person who offered £600 for the N85.

Re: 1985 Graham's / Warre's / Quinta do Noval

Posted: 20:47 Fri 07 Jul 2017

by jdaw1

Please, what happened?

Did you manage to sell the G85 @ £520 per doz? The W85 @ £460? Or the N85 @ £600 per doz?